I write about fashion for Forbes. Since starting here three years ago, I've had my DNA analyzed and found out I was Jewish, accompanied a street fashion blogger on the prowl for New York City's most stylish denizens and interviewed the guy who photographs the Victoria's Secret catalog. My fashion writing has appeared in the New Inquiry, Women's Wear Daily and the Syracuse Post-Standard.

A Super Bowl Close-Up For The Indianapolis Arts Scene

Football fans celebrating the Super Bowl in Indianapolis this weekend can expect the usual pre-game circus: bashes hosted by GQ and Playboy, concerts from LMFAO, meet-and-greets with players and members of the media.

Yet they may be surprised to find, just blocks from the stadium, the Turf IDADA Art Pavilion, a contemporary-art exhibition planned specifically for the big game. A collaboration between the Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealers Association, Arts Council, Super Bowl Committee and mayor’s office, “Turf” aims to elevate its local arts community into the national conversation.

“No other host city has used the Super Bowl to draw attention to visual art,” says Jason Zickler, past president of IDADA and one of the event’s organizers. “With such a big international event and with so many people visiting [Indianapolis] for the first time, I knew we needed to do something big to showcase our arts scene.”

"Bull in a China Shop" by Lesley Baker

Housed in Indy’s former City Hall — a 100-year-old neo-Classical building just a few blocks from the stadium –”Turf” contains works by 20 local artists, selected by a jury. There are no paintings on the wall but large installations created specifically for the site: a gigantic wood sculpture of a bull about to charge some porcelain dishes (“Bull in a China Shop” by Lesley Baker), a video piece juxtaposing clips of Kanye West and George W. Bush (“Culture Is a Gun,” Artur Silva), a recreation of a very messy artist’s studio (“A Rapid Validation,” Mike Lyons). Maps in the hall’s entrance point out other art galleries in the area, should visitors want more.

“I think that people are complex and multi-faceted,” says artist Silva, 35. “When they are coming [to Indianapolis], they don’t just want to see the Super Bowl. They want to experience the whole city, and the arts are the best way to understand a community and culture.”

"A Rapid Validation" by Mike Lyons

“Turf” is just one of several arts programs going on during the Super Bowl, including “46 by XLVI,” which includes 46 commissioned murals by 46 different artists, and the Petal Project, an exhibition of student photographs documenting Indy’s changing Eastside Community at the Artsgarden. But it’s also part of a larger push to put Indianapolis on the global stage. The city has spent $100 million dollars cleaning up the city, building a car-free “Super Bowl Village” in the downtown area surrounding the stadium and getting performers and local businesses to participate in the festivities. (The city is expected to make between $150 million to $400 million off the Super Bowl.)

“This is more than an event,” says Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard. “This is a chance to make a better city, to have people say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know there was so much here.’”

Indeed, Ballard is thinking long-term, spending a huge sum of money not only to lure visitors, but to lure new, permanent residents, thereby boosting the economy. “We want to attract 20-to 30-year olds looking to raise families and start businesses,” he adds. “They’re looking for cities with strong arts and education programs as well as sports teams. They want a high quality of life, and we want to show we can offer them that.”

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.